Artificial limb



Feb. 15 1927.

'6'. H. SHRODES ARTIFICIAL LINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1925 9 Z: a 3% i y K E w [n VQH top [215 Attorney Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

GEORGEIHE SHRQDES; 0.13" LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA.

aARTIFICIAL LIMB.

Application filed July 6, 1925. Serial Il'o.v 41,566.

partswhich they aredesigned. to. replace.

The object thereof is to produce simple. and cheap and 'eflicient parts which when assembled will function as do thenatural parts whiclvthe re olace and to )rodnce a device that it a portion thereof becomes-broken or worn to such. an extentthat such portion is objectionablethe same can be easily replaced with: acnew portionrand. in .which repairscanbe made by ,anunskilled workman.

In the drawings .iiormingr a partot this.

application Fig. .1 is aside elevation. Fig. 2 a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Pg. 3 is..an enlarged detail showing the mannerot connecting. thealeg. wires to the. upperlband 10. Fig. 4 1s a section on.:the-

line. 44. of Fig. 1. Figs. 5-8 are sectional details-"showing. the construction of certain of .the parts. of my device.

. Referring to the drawings is the top -.band and may be calledtheknee band. 11

is the lower :band. oi? theleg and may; be:

called the ankle: :band. .The intermediate bands 12. and 18. may be called'the .stiiiening bands.

may be an desired number. These wires are prefera lymade from piano string wire and they are bent to conform to the form of the leg which they are to replace. lVires 14 are secured to bands 12 and 13 by clamping member 15, which members are preferably connected to the bands by screws 16 so that in case a wire breaks another wire can be easily substituted for the broken wire. Integral with band 10 are side lugs 17 which extend downwardly to and are connected to band 13 by rivets 18. The size and length of lugs 17 is governed by the size and length of the limb that is to be replaced. Band 11 has on each side thereof downwardly projecting toot lugs 19 the lower ends of which are bifurcated. Lugs 19 are connected to upwardly projecting sole lugs 20 by ankle bolt 21. Lugs 20 are preferably integral with sole plate 22 which has a toe portion 23. This toe portion is preferably hollow for lightness and is integral These bands are preferably. made oi? aluminum as it is both strong and light.

1 Running. from band '10 to: band. 11 and suitablyend detachably. connected. to "both bands are the leg wires 14 of. which there with the sole which, is. preterably.:made of.

aluminum. The rear portion of Ytherear wall of the toe is a little, lower than the.

front portion and in -this lowery-por'tionof said wall is received the front ends otwhat T. termftheinstep. wires 24 of which .there may be any desirednumber. '[I have shown three as I consider that number snfficient. Ior the average footbut therema-y bear greater or less number as ClGSlI'Cl. .As'shown.

in Figs. .4 5 and 7 the ends. of wires 24-,are bent at right angles to the-malnflportion and such ends enter holes 25 in, the back wall 26 of the toe (seeFig. 5) and: areheld. therein by a plate 2Twhich is connectedto.

wall 26by screws 28. Thev other-ends 01' wires 24 are bent angnlarly tofthelbody thereof and enter sockets. 29. in. band 11 as bestshown in Fig. 5 and; are, held positioned therein by; plates 30 which are detachably connected to band 11 by screws 31. ,L'Pl'ates 30: also hold the lower .ends-ofthe front leg wires 14. Intermediate the ends thereof-and about the center wires 24 arecoiled. as. at .32.

to. give theingreater, resiliency. The rear or heel end of sole 22 pro ects upwardly. a

short distance as best shown in Fig, 5, and

forms a heel lug. 33 in which are sockets 34.

' In these sockets are receivedt-he out-turned" ends. of heel wires 85. .Theupper. ends'of wires 35 are out-turned and enter sockets in band 11 and are held therein'by plate" 30 which plateholds the lowerends of the'rear leg wires 14-detachablysecuredto band l1.

Screws 51 connect plate 30, to-band 11. In-

termediate the ends thereof wires, 35 are.

coiled to give greater resiliency. An instep plate 39 is secured to the front portion of sole 22 by screws 40. A heel plate 41 is secured to the rear portion of sole 22 by screws 42. Sole 22 may be provided on its upper surface with longitudinal stiffening lugs 43 and with a transverse heel lug 44. Sole lugs 20 are provided with stop pins 45 that project outwardly between the bifurcated ends of lugs 19 to limit the relative movement of the foot. This relative movement is also limited by the engagement at the front of plate 39 with band 11 and at the rear by engagement of plate 41. Were bolt 21 passes through I provide a bushing 46 which has a diagonal slit 47 therein in which a lubricant can be placed if desired. On the ends of bolt 21 I provide nuts 48 which are threaded right hand and in the ends of bolt 21 are sockets 49 which are threaded left hand. A bolt screws into each of these sockets and the heads 51 project over nuts as and engage lugs 17 and thereby lock nuts 48 on bolt 20. Heads 51 are fabricated to give a close resemblance to the projecting ankle bones.

By this construction it will be seen that in case of a break in any of the parts a new part can readily be inserted. The action of the foot lugs rocking on the leg lugs with the instep and heel springs to hold the foot in normal position gives an almost perfect natural action.

Having described my invention I claim- 1. An artificial lower limb comprising in combination knee and ankle bands; a. plurality of wires forming the lower limb contour, said wires being detachably connected at the top to the knee band and at the bottom to the ankle band; lugs projecting downwardly from the ankle band; asole plate; lugs projecting upwardly from the sole plate; means'to connect the sole lugs and ankle lugs; a resilient connection from the toe portion of the sole plate to the ankle band; a resilient connection from the heel portion of the sole plate to the ankle band; an instep plate connected to the sole plate and a heel plate connected to the heel portion of the sole plate.

2. An artificial lower limb comprising in combination knee and ankle bands; down- Wardly projecting lugs from said bands, said bands having sockets therein; a plurality of wires having out-turned ends, said ends being adapted to enter the sockets in said bands; means connected to said bands adapted to hold the ends of said wires in said sockets; a sole plate having a heel portion an instep portion and a toe portion; lugs projecting upwardly from said plate; means to pivotally connect said last lugs with the ankle band lugs; resilient instep wires connected to said ankle band and to the rear portion of the toe of the sole plate;

resilient heel wires connected to said ankle band and to said heel portion of the sole plate; said instep and heel wires being detachably connected to the co-acting parts; and an instep plate and a heel plate connected to the sole plate.

3. An artificial lower limb comprising in combination knee and ankle bands, said bands having sockets therein and downwardly projecting lugs, the ankle band lugs having their lower ends bifurcated; a plurality of wires having outturned ends said ends being adapted to enter the sockets in said bands; detachable means to hold said ends in said sockets; a strengthening band inter-- mediate said knee and ankle bands, and connected to the bottom portions of the lugs of the knee band; means to detachably connect said wires with said strengthening band; a sole plate having a heel portion, an instep portion and a toe portion; lugs projecting upwardly from said sole plate; a bolt projecting through the sole plate lugs and the ankle band lugs, said bolt rockably connecting said lugs; bushings on said bolt and within said sole plate lugs; nuts on said bolt to hold the same from separating from said lugs; bolts having heads screwed into the ends of the bolt connecting the lugs; the heads of said last bolts surrounding the nuts on the first bolt and forming lock nuts, resilient instep wires, each having a coil therein intermediate its ends detachably connected to the ankle band and to the toe portion of the sole plate; resilient heel wires each having a coil therein intermediate its ends detachably connected to said ankle band and to the heel portion of the solo plate; and instep and heel plates connected to said sole plate.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of June 1925.

GEO. H. SHRODES. 

